Budget Savvy Flowers

I love flowers. When I envisioned my wedding, I dreamed of LOTS and LOTS of flowers. But I never truly realized how MUCH flowers are. I love fresh flowers, but bridal bouquets can be up to $200 or more. And according to TheKnot.com, a couple’s flower budget should be 8-10 percent of your total budget (as seen in #11 in this article). If you’re working on a $7,000 budget, that’s $560 for flowers!

Like a true BSB, I’m very practical when it comes to wedding planning, so paying that much for a bouquet I’ll carry for all of five minutes total…not for me. So I began looking for other options when it came down to choosing flowers for my wedding.

In my search, I found that there is a distinct discussion that occurs concerning the flowers. In perusing the community forums at TheKnot.com, I discovered that many brides are either ‘Team Fresh’ or ‘Team Silk/Real Touch’. Some brides are very outspoken that fresh is the only way to go; others (like me) believe it’s more cost-effective to pay for silk or real touch. Obviously, there are pros and cons to both; however, I want you to take a moment and consider the budget savviness of going with silk or real touch:

-More cost-effective

-Can purchase months before the wedding

-Keep forever! (Idea-put in a shadow box with other wedding stuff after the fact)

What are other pros to choosing silk or real-touch flowers? Would you consider one of these options over fresh flowers? If you have/did, are you happy with your choice? Let’s hear it, BSBs!

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About Laura

Laura is a 26-year old school counselor living in Hendersonville, North Carolina. Laura is married to the love of her life Josh, whom she met online in February 2010. He proposed in a beautiful park on January 19, 2013, and they had an intimate and elegant wedding at an Asheville vineyard on April 26, 2014.

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http://budgetsavvybride Ashley Catherine

I had real flowers and wouldn’t have done it any other way! In fact, they were probably my favorite part of our wedding, as far as decorations go. My informal florist (a friend) got flowers in bulk at a farm, along with some pieces I ordered online and a couple odds and ends at the grocer’s for under $400. We had multiple bouquets, centerpieces and boutonnieres. So, don’t discount the fresh! The biggest upside to silk is being able to make them far in advance and then keeping them later. Definitely a plus.

http://www.thebudgetsavvybride.com Jessica Bishop

That’s wonderful you were able to do it all so inexpensively! We spent about $400 on our flowers, too and were able to create bouquets and centerpieces, no problem!

http://www.thebudgetsavvybride.com/author/laura Laura W

That sounds beautiful AND cost-effective! Thanks for sharing.

Lilly

I would add that dryed natural arrangements and live plants such as succulents are also options. I am toying with the idea of lavender my self it can be fresh or dryed I like that I have options!

http://www.thebudgetsavvybride.com/author/laura Laura W

Wow, Lilly! That’s something I didn’t think about it. Keep us updated! I’d love to hear what you decide to do.